The present invention relates in general to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to integrated circuits formed with high frequency bypass capacitors.
Manufacturers of cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices are requiring integrated circuits with an increased number of passive components in order to reduce the fabrication cost and/or the physical size of the communications devices. One such type of discrete passive component is bypass capacitors, which are connected between power supply terminals to smooth out voltage spikes and other disturbances on a power supply, and also to provide low pass filter applications.
So far, many semiconductor manufacturers have had difficulty in integrating bypass capacitors on a semiconductor die along with other components because of their large electrical value or their low performance when integrated. In cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices, bypass capacitors must have a value of one nanofarad or more and be able to filter signals operating at frequencies of six gigahertz or more. Attempts to integrate bypass capacitors have resulted in components that occupy a large die area, which results in a high equivalent series resistance (ESR) and consequent poor frequency response. Moreover, the die area adds a substantial cost to manufacture the capacitors.
Hence, there is a need for an integrated circuit that is formed with a bypass capacitor having a large value and low ESR in order to achieve a high frequency response while maintaining a low cost.